For the 16^th time in the last 17 years, Irondequoit HS has been named a “Blue-Star School” for excellence in teaching financial literacy, and IHS business teachers Lou DiCesare, Jeanine Lent and LaVon Bucciarelli also have each been selected as “Gold Star” teachers by W!SE (Working In Support of Education).

To earn the Blue-Star award, a school must have achieved an 80% passing rate on W!SE's Financial Literacy Certification Test (FLCT) and have either a majority of students on a given grade level receive personal finance instruction or a minimum 10% of school enrollment taking the Certification Test. Last year, IHS was one of 29 schools nationwide to earn Platinum status.

To achieve “Gold Star,” a teacher’s students must achieve a 93% passing rate on the W!SE FLCT in at least one of their classes during the school year. Mrs. Bucciarelli, Mr. DiCesare and Mrs. Lent – advisors for the award-winning IHS DECA Club – have each earned this honor multiple times. Mr. DiCesare is a 16-time honoree. The Gold Star honor is based on results from the 2024-2025 school year and tests completed by students in the IHS Career & Financial Management course.

W!SE is a NYC-based educational nonprofit. Its mission: Help young people and at-risk adults via programs that develop financial literacy and college/workforce readiness.

Congratulations to our amazing students and their teachers!